Spelling rules

Cambridge Vocabulary for IELTS by Pauline Cullen

Correct spelling is very important in IELTS tests. Here are seven simple rules to help you.
1 Capital letters
Always use a capital letter for:
Days and months: Monday, Friday, June, December.
Names of people (and their titles): Ana Kyriaki, Dr Bauer.
Names of countries, cities, nationalities and languages:
Australia, Seoul, Thai.
The rst word in a sentence: We cannot ignore this problem.
NB: Do not write an essay using only capitals! (Not WE
CANNOT IGNORE THIS PROBLEM)
2 I before E except after C
This expression can help you spell words like believe and
receive correctly.
Remember, if the e+i are pronounced /e/, the rule does
not apply, (e.g. eight, neighbour). Other exceptions: either,
neither, leisure.
3 Words that end in E
When you add -ing or -ed to a word that ends in e, drop the
nal e:
love loved
write writing
When you add -ment or -dom to a word that ends in e, keep
the nal e:
amusement boredom
If there is a vowel before the e, (e.g. argue), drop the e,
before adding a su x:
argued, arguing, argument
If there is a soft c or g before the e, (e.g. manage, notice),
keep the nal e:
manageable, management, noticeable
4 Words that end in Y
When you add a su x to a word ending in y, change y to i:
happy happier
study studied
This rule does not apply when you add -ing, (e.g. crying, playing),
or if there is a vowel before the y, (e.g. employment, obeyed).
5 Doubling Consonants
You sometimes need to double the nal consonant of a word
when you add a su x. This helps the reader to pronounce
the word correctly. It shows that the vowel before it has a
short sound.
For example: slim (short i sound) and slime (long i sound).
To keep the short // sound in slim, double the last consonant
before you add a su x: slimmed, slimmer, slimmest.
(Not slimed, slimer, slimest).
If the word ends in two consonants dont double the nal
consonant:
talent talented
If the word contains more than one syllable, only double the
nal consonant if the last syllable is stressed:
occur occurred
This rule does not apply if the last syllable is not stressed:
happen happened
6 Adding prexes
When you add a prex, the spelling of a word does not
normally change:
unnecessary, dissatised, prearranged
7 American or British Spelling?
Both American and British spellings are acceptable, however
you must use the same style consistently:
My favorite color is blue or My favourite colour is blue. (Not
My favourite color is blue.)
Some dierences between American and British spellings:
American spellings British spellings
When words with more than
one syllable end in l, double
the l if the last syllable is
stressed:
travel travelled
Do not double the l if there is
no stress on the last syllable:
traveled, traveling
When words with more than
one syllable end in l, always
double the l:
travelled, travelling
Words end in or:
color, avor, humor
Words end in our:
colour, avour, humour
Words end in ize or yze:
specialize, recognize, analyze
Words end in ise or yse:
specialise, recognise, analyse
Photocopiable
Cambridge University Press 2008